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BAM 401E 7 of 34 ELECTRONIC BENEFIT TRANSFER ISSUANCE SYSTEM BPB 2026-019 8-1-2026

BRIDGES ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Changing the AR in Bridges will deactivate the AR’s card, however, not immediately. Advise a client who contacts MDHHS first, to also contact FIS to deactivate the AR’s card. If a client wants to change the AR and the person is not listed in the current MDHHS-1171, Assistance Application, then a DHS-247, Request for Food Assistance Authorized Representative, must be completed: see BAM 110, Authorized Representative. If the AR performs fraudulent activity involving a client’s account, lost or stolen benefits are not replaced. If the fraudulent activity was done with the client’s knowledge, it may result in criminal charges against the client and/or the client’s benefits may be reduced. Third-Party Payee/ Protective Payee Third-party payees/protective payees on cash assistance cases are issued a Bridge card and can only access the client’s cash benefit account. The Bridge card is mailed to the third-party payee/protec- tive payee’s address on Bridges and will contain only the third-party payee/protective payee’s name. When there is a third-party payee/protective payee, the client cannot access the cash account. Clients with a third-party payee/protective payee still have access to the SNAP account. If a group has both an AR and a third-party payee/protective payee, it may be the same person or different people. If it is the same person, that person will receive two Bridge cards, one to access the SNAP account and the other to access the cash benefits; see BAM 420, Third-Party Payee. Cash Third-Party Payee/Protective Payee Changes The following explains who can access the cash account when there is a change to the third-party payee/protective payee: • If the third-party payee/protective payee changes, the new third-party payee/protective payee will be able to access any existing benefits in the cash account with their new Bridge card. • If the third-party payee/protective payee is deleted in Bridges, the third-party payee/protective payee will no longer have access to any benefits. Access will revert to the HOH who will have access to all the benefits in the cash account.